The Christian religion has billions of followers across the world. They are united in their belief in one man: Jesus Christ. Christians celebrate his birth on Christmas Day, his death on Good Friday,and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. The Western calendar starts from the year in which Jesus was born.

Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Islam and Judaism consider Jesus to be an important prophet,but not God's son. No matter what you believe, stories about Jesus form a very important part of Western culture.

Religious stories tell us that Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem, Israel. Three wise men from far away followed a star to that stable. The wise men believed that the star was a sign that the King of the Jews had been born to the Virgin Mary.

The story of the star is part of religious belief, but Jesus was a real person. He was born, grew up, and became a carpenter. From when he was 30 years old until he was 33, Jesus was a popular religious teacher and healer. He preached about peace and love.Jesus taught his followers that whatever you do to the poor and weak, you do to God. He said that all people were equal and all were the children of God.

Then, some Jewish religious leaders told Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Israel, that Jesus was dangerous. Jesus was charged with sedition against the Roman Empire. Pontius Pilate had Jesus crucified. Jesus was nailed to a big wooden cross where he remained until he died. Christians believe that on the third day after his death, Jesus returned from the dead, visited his followers, and went to heaven.

Whatever you believe, the life of this man has certainly had ahuge impact on our world.

全世界共有數十億基督徒，他們的共同信仰對象就是「耶穌基督」。基督徒於聖誕節慶祝耶穌誕生，於受難日紀念他辭世，並於復活節歡慶他死而復生。西方國家一年的開始是從耶穌誕生那天開始算起。

基督教相信耶穌是上帝之子。伊斯蘭教與猶太教則認為耶穌是重要的先知，而非上帝之子。無論你的信仰為何，耶穌的故事都對西方文化帶來重要的影響。 在宗教故事裡，耶穌生於以色列伯利恆的馬廄。來自遠方的三名智者跟隨某顆星光前來馬廄。這些智者相信，此星光代表聖母瑪莉亞生下「猶太人領袖」的兆象。

雖然星星的故事是宗教信仰的一部分，但耶穌卻是真實存在的人物。他聒聒墜地、長大成人，並且成為一個木匠。三十歲到三十三歲期間，耶穌已是家喻戶曉的宗教老師和療癒者。他傳道和平與愛的信念；教導他的門徒，對待貧困弱勢族群的方式，需比照侍奉上帝的心境；他宣導每個人生而平等，大家都是上帝的孩子。

然而，某些猶太教領袖告訴駐紮以色列的羅馬總督本丟• 彼拉多，耶穌是一名危險份子。耶穌因而被控以煽動反叛羅馬帝國的罪名。本丟•彼拉多將耶穌處死釘於十字架。基督徒相信，耶穌亡歿的第三日死而復生，探望門徒後即升上天堂。

無論你的信仰為何，耶穌的一生確實對我們的世界帶來深遠的影響。